The men behind Man city: If you thought Qatar was a problem, wait till you get a load of Abu Dhabi

Chesterlestreet

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We're all guilty of not giving a feck. Football is supposed to be lighthearted escapism. But it isn't when you have to turn a blind eye to obvious, blatant...shit of the worst kind in order to enjoy it. And if you pay for it on top of everything else, you have no moral high ground.

The football authorities and the people who own the big clubs are corrupt, money grabbing twats. They won't fix anything. Only a grand scale fan reaction can do that.
 

Rhyme Animal

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Nonchalantly scoring the winner...
OK so where is the evidence of the 'yes'? Taking that answer at face value, presumably you have evidence of human rights abuses from the companies sponsoring United?

Also, the blinkered viewpoint is coming from City fans on here. I don't like the Glazers as owners. I do criticise them (see other threads). It seems you cannot accept criticism of your clubs owners without resorting to some petty and inaccurate 'whataboutery'.
Well said that man. Absolutely bang on the money.

It's become a bit cult-like and very odd I think, it's like the city fanbase is now made up of shiek mansour concubines that can't think for themselves.

Most United fans can't stand the Glazers and talk (at length) about their short-comings - in fact, everything they do and have done gets critiqued by United fans more than anyone else!

This is something that city fans seem unable to grasp, for whatever reason.

Genuinely odd.
 

SkeppyRed

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City fans have always been extra-sensitive bunch when it comes to any perceived slight on their club. An inferiority complex from sharing a city with United perhaps. Now they've got to where they dreamed of on the pitch but have had become everything they claimed to despise and worse to get there. Their football-supporting moral compass is fecked and it has left them confused and paranoid, barking at anything remotely negative connected with City.

The funny thing is the worst is yet to come, wait until they grow and their local support, which in a tribal-allegiance infested place like Manchester already has little room for maneuver, is priced out by glory hunters, day-trippers and corporate types. How are they going to handle that after decades of attacking any United fan outside the M60!?! They're still at it as well, just look at the blue on here digging out posters about where they're from and bringing it up in arguments against them. How will he cope when half the council house has never heard of Kinkladze, let alone Colin Bell. Definite a case of 'be careful what you wish for'.
 

WutheringBlue

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Riffing on the phrase 'sunlight is the best disinfectant', we might suggest Western media outlets function as sunlight for unethical corporate (and political) practice. There are forces that work against the investigative press. As the artilcle identifies, journalists are dependent on football clubs to permit them access to the stories they write about, which negates their ability to function as sunlight. In spite of this, PR companies cannot shield corporate (and political) interest from journalistic scrutiny entirely.

The question then becomes does involvement with Manchester City Football Club raise the level of scrutiny for our owners? Undeniably yes. The scrutiny is tempered by PR agencies, but it is scrutiny nonetheless. The very fact we are having this discussion is evidence of that. As a result, the owners political regime is brought under the 'sunlight' of the Western media.

PR runs both ways, it is about (mis)representing the activities of the client, but it is also about how guiding future activities so that they are better covered in the media. The latter is an unseen effect and a force for good.
 

padr81

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As a City fan I'll weigh in.

I posted pretty much this in a different thread and I'll post it here.
Feel free to call me a selfish cnut but here goes.

Are our owners good people? Are they feck. But you know what I'll say this honestly and you can all take the moral high ground if you like but 90% of you wouldn't have a single thing to say on them if they weren't at City and we weren't doing so well. Where was this thread last year?

So our owners are shithouses, pretty much (so are most people with extreme wealth). Do I care? Well I do and I don't. Call me ignorant but I didn't think too much about the people over there before our owners, nor do I now after. Is my opinion ignorant, yes, is my opinion selfish, yes it is. But I'll openly and honestly answer. If you ask me are Cities owners bad people my answer is yes. How do I feel about that? Indifferent. If Cities owners were Uniteds owners instead how would I feel about them? Still indifferent. How do I feel about Gadaffi with Juve? Berlusconi with Milan? Qatar? Abramhovic? Indifferent. How did I feel about all those before Cities wealth? Indifferent.

It might be selfish but while I acknowledge what goes on unless it affects me I generally pay little attention to it, it is what it is and does those of you who all of a sudden care about human rights over there like its the most important thing in the world probably only started caring after we got our oil money. If United were in receipt of said money you'd be like "well its not our money, our owners are shitty people but it is what it is."

I don't think anyone who follows City is deluded enough to think hey HRH and family are the most kindest, modest caring people in the world.
 
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M18CTID

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While I don't give a toss about you guys being owned by satan himself there is a difference in being state owned or private funded. What your lube lords are doing in their private leisures is somewhat shady to say the least.. While teams have been sponsored by some shady companies (Schalke with Gazprom ect ect) they compete in a open market and rules do apply. The Lube state just writes what rules they want and follows the rule it wants to follow, if there is a problem throw money at it..
For crying out loud, and for the umpteenth time, some of the companies that sponsor United are owned by ruling bodies from the same part of the world that City’s owner comes from. Have a read of what @JASR posted further up about the company that sponsors United and is over 50% owned by the ruling family of Dubai.
 

BobbyManc

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Most City fans are like the complicit German population in Nazi Germany - gladly abandoning all morality in exchange for the ‘prosperity’ offered by their tyrannical rulers.

For a bunch of clowns who for so long dined out on being a ‘proper club’, its amusing and almost pity-provoking.
The only thing amusing and pity-provoking is your analogy between City fans and Germans under the Third Reich :lol:
 

CA1

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As a City fan I'll weigh in.

I posted pretty much this in a different thread and I'll post it here.
Feel free to call me a selfish cnut but here goes.

Are our owners good people? Are they feck. But you know what I'll say this honestly and you can all take the moral high ground if you like but 90% of you wouldn't have a single thing to say on them if they weren't at City and we weren't doing so well. Where was this thread last year?

So our owners are shithouses, pretty much (so are most people with extreme wealth). Do I care? Well I do and I don't. Call me ignorant but I didn't think too much about the people over there before our owners, nor do I now after. Is my opinion ignorant, yes, is my opinion selfish, yes it is. But I'll openly and honestly answer. If you ask me are Cities owners bad people my answer is yes. How do I feel about that? Indifferent. If Cities owners were Uniteds owners instead how would I feel about them? Still indifferent. How do I feel about Gadaffi with Juve? Berlusconi with Milan? Qatar? Abramhovic? Indifferent. How did I feel about all those before Cities wealth? Indifferent.

It might be selfish but while I acknowledge what goes on unless it affects me I generally pay little attention to it, it is what it is and does those of you who all of a sudden care about human rights over there like its the most important thing in the world probably only started caring after we got our oil money. If United were in receipt of said money you'd be like "well its not our money, our owners are shitty people but it is what it is."

I don't think anyone who follows City is deluded enough to think hey HRH and family are the most kindest, modest caring people in the world.
It's selfish but that's not what you should be beating yourself up about.

It's pure cowardice on your part if this is what you really believe. A terrible human trait.
 

Fluctuation0161

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Ffs you really are blinkered.

Try googling ‘Emirates nbd ownership’. google presents the shareholder breakdown, in that breakdown are the words ‘Dubai govt’ followed by a percentage. The percentage is a figure larger than 50.
To me that indicates the govt of Dubai controls the company that is a sponsor of United. Maybe not to you?
More whataboutery. What a surprise. The fact that you and @M18CTID can’t see the difference between a fully state owned and bank rolled club Vs. a single private sponsor speaks volumes.

And you clearly can’t be arsed to read my 1st post on this thread pointing out my personal concern with city’s ownership. Let alone @M18CTIDs.
If you mean your post blaming the “oil fuelled” world for your owners human rights records then yes, I’ve read it.
 

Fluctuation0161

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Well said that man. Absolutely bang on the money.

It's become a bit cult-like and very odd I think, it's like the city fanbase is now made up of shiek mansour concubines that can't think for themselves.

Most United fans can't stand the Glazers and talk (at length) about their short-comings - in fact, everything they do and have done gets critiqued by United fans more than anyone else!

This is something that city fans seem unable to grasp, for whatever reason.

Genuinely odd.
It is odd. They can’t discuss the issue without trying to point score and deflect. I guess they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them!
 

Im red2

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My God, just let City bask in their limelight. We all know they would likely be a 2nd tier team by now if the sheik had not come along. But right now they are far and away the best team in the league. We all need to live with that. I remember talking to a relative of mine about 20 years ago and him telling me that he believed he would someday see City win not only the premier league but also the champions league. My reply was, that City would need to sign Jesus and win the lottery to win the league never mind the champions league. So I am keeping my mouth shut for now.
 

SupaFella

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Likely consequences of this thread, discussion or article:

-No chance in city's form because of it
-No chance in city's ownership because of it
-No chances in the feeling of rivalry between City and united
-No chances in the middle east
-No changes in the optimistic mood at city
-No changes in city's time wasting tactics, but this one is sure one hell of a waste of time

Yeah nice "banter flavour thread of the week", have fun
 

clarkydaz

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My God, just let City bask in their limelight. We all know they would likely be a 2nd tier team by now if the sheik had not come along. But right now they are far and away the best team in the league. We all need to live with that. I remember talking to a relative of mine about 20 years ago and him telling me that he believed he would someday see City win not only the premier league but also the champions league. My reply was, that City would need to sign Jesus and win the lottery to win the league never mind the champions league. So I am keeping my mouth shut for now.
so its your fault!
 

edcunited1878

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My God, just let City bask in their limelight. We all know they would likely be a 2nd tier team by now if the sheik had not come along. But right now they are far and away the best team in the league. We all need to live with that. I remember talking to a relative of mine about 20 years ago and him telling me that he believed he would someday see City win not only the premier league but also the champions league. My reply was, that City would need to sign Jesus and win the lottery to win the league never mind the champions league. So I am keeping my mouth shut for now.
The ironic thing is that they won the lottery and then signed Jesus just a year or two ago. They hired the best and most successful directors (i.e. Barcelona's footballing brains) and gave them a blank check. They rode it out for a few managers until the man they wanted was available and they aren't looking back now. Only thing left is for them to win all trophies available to them.
 

JASR

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We're all guilty of not giving a feck. Football is supposed to be lighthearted escapism. But it isn't when you have to turn a blind eye to obvious, blatant...shit of the worst kind in order to enjoy it. And if you pay for it on top of everything else, you have no moral high ground.

The football authorities and the people who own the big clubs are corrupt, money grabbing twats. They won't fix anything. Only a grand scale fan reaction can do that.
A voice of reason in a sea of myopia
 

M18CTID

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It's selfish but that's not what you should be beating yourself up about.

It's pure cowardice on your part if this is what you really believe. A terrible human trait.
Then I think it’s fair to say about 99.99% of football fans are cowards then. If you’re genuinely part of the other 0.01% then fair play to you.
 

JASR

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Semantics. He was taking a lot of flak and adverse publicity. Part of the reason he sold. Back in your box.
Iirc he sold because the Thai govt froze most of his assets and therefore he needed cash where he could find it.
The lack of his liquidity was another reason City was heading for administration before the ADUG takeover.
 

padr81

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It's selfish but that's not what you should be beating yourself up about.

It's pure cowardice on your part if this is what you really believe. A terrible human trait.
How is it cowardice? I have nothing to beat myself up about. Indifference is not cowardice. I'd love to know just how and what I should care more about and not feel indifferent.
Must be comfy up there on your high horse, got any posts here on the horrors of Abu Dhabi from before the City takeover that so offended this forum?
 
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Kraftwerker

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City aren’t a real football club operation.

The club is nothing more than a PR vehicle to launder the reputation of an abusive and repressive regime.

And it’s no surprise Pep Guardiola’s involved seeing he already sold his soul to Qatar to help them do the same.
 

Brightonian

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Yeah and if they win, they'll have the premier league trophy. But yeah, you and the others can comfort yourselves with that "moral high ground" trophy :lol:
Here's the thing, no United fan would seriously claim moral high ground. For the most part we're all very cynical about the Glazers, the club, Mourinho etc.

It's just that City's owners go a long way towards putting them firmly on the moral low ground.
 

whatwha

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What is it with the western mentality that "our way is the only right way and every other culture is wrong and barbaric". You guys are seriously deluding yourselves or living in a fantasy world if you think that there isn't massive corruption in the west too and shady deals going on all the time, infact it's a problem wherever money can be found.

People in the U.K are starving, dying because they can't afford heating due to benefits cuts or left to rot on the streets with homelessness, or burning in buildings because of £5000 cladding..and don't even get me started on the USA! The difference is the western countries are more smarter with their oppression and humans rights abuses, because let's be honest, how is someone working 60 hours a week on minimum wage just to feed their family, working EVERY day without ever actually living life not classified as oppression. The citizens of the Arab countries actually have good lives tbh.

Also who do you think makes these shady deals with these shady arabs, western countries ofcourse, so let's not use this holier than thou attitude. I'm not saying I agree at all with the Arabs but I hate how everyone is quick to point fingers here but not in their own pond first. I'm not saying all western countries are like this btw, as the scandinavian countries are great places!

Oppression and humans right abuses come in many forms, the only difference is if you call it "legal" for some reason we don't classify at a human rights abuse.
Excellent whataboutism on display here
 

Rams

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The ruling class of Abu Dhabi are a real nasty piece of work, but it hasn’t stopped Western economies falling over each other to do business with them. From a sporting point of view the blatant manipulation of UEFA’s financial fair play rules is probably more of a concern, the whole City ownership is one big scam to gain an advantage over their competitors. However, if history is anything to go by its probably only a matter of time when the dictatorship in Abu Dhabi is toppled and City will be left up shit creek without the proverbial paddle. Until that time, and it may take a long time, we’ll just have to grin and bear it.
 
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